5 Of The Best New Restaurants (With Great Cocktails) In Bali

They’re making a splash in the island’s foodie scene as well as our taste buds.

Aperitif-Kerodok. Photo: Nadia Cho

There’s always a hot new opening happening in Bali, and it’s difficult to stay on top of which new restaurants are truly worth getting off the beach lounge for. Not to worry! We’ve done the work of finding the best new hotspots so you don’t have to. Check out our picks for the best new restaurants that are making a splash in the island’s foodie scene as well as our taste buds.

1. Apéritif at Viceroy Bali

The fantastic culinary destination of Ubud has another world-class restaurant to add to the list. Apéritif is the exquisite new gastronomic hotspot in town, located at the luxurious Viceroy Bali resort.

Everything from the start of the arrival experience sets you up for a glamorous evening. When you step into the foyer, you are swept through a set of glittering art deco doors into the bar for pre-dinner drinks and canapes. Apéritif’s lavishly decorated space is a sparkling haven of Gatsby-era opulence. The bar is decked out in rich moss green walls, gold accents and vintage jetsetter motifs. The signature cocktail list bursts with sweet, tropical flavors native to the region, like kemangi cordial, lemongrass syrup and tamarillo negronis. It’s a sultry joint which invites you to indulge in more than just a few stiff drinks.

After a fabulous round of cocktails and Instagram-mable canapes, your server will escort you to the dining room for the main event. While the bar is dark and sexy, the dining room is a bright, dazzling affair. Imagine shiny black and white checkered floors, sparkling chandeliers, icy champagne carts and fluffy ostrich feathers. You’re immediately transported into a luxurious reincarnation of the Roaring Twenties.

The five to eight course degustation menu is rich and incredibly eclectic. Each course seamlessly integrates Indonesian and European flavors and textures. Flaky soft venison wellington drizzled with coconut rendang, duck and consommé accompanied by kimchi and koji paste, oysters with spirulina and poached crab inside pickled jicama topped with coconut, galangal and turmeric. By the end, you’ll feel as if you’ve completed a vibrant culinary journey through Indonesia, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

For a night of glamour, beauty and eclectic cuisine, Apéritif has it all. Head over to Viceroy Bali for the island’s stunning new fine dining experience!

2. Pala Restaurant & Rooftop Bar at Apurva Kempinski Bali

The spanking new Apurva Kempinski Bali is about to become the ultimate go-to location for Sunday brunch. Pala is the resort’s first restaurant to officially open, and it offers the grandest brunch buffet the island has ever seen.

Pala floats in the center of the resort’s sprawling main pool with plenty of outdoor seating plus a breezy rooftop bar. The Sunday brunch buffet is just as extravagant as it sounds and it’s a sight to behold. Live lobsters on ice, gigantic tiger prawns, freshly shucked oysters, a seafood grill and an entire suckling pig for babi guling. Regardless of the size of the buffet, every single item is of the highest quality and prepared with exceptional care. The airy transparent venue can accommodate large groups so you can take the whole family or go with all of your friends.

Apurva Kempinski Bali is offering “BRUNCHCATION” on Sunday, something magical that we didn’t know we needed. For 750,000 IRD, brunch-goers can do the brunch buffet and then stay to enjoy the resort’s facilities for the day. This includes swimming in the luxurious 60-meter pool, 20% off all treatments at Apurva Spa, complimentary watersports and sun lounge at the beach and a complimentary drink at Pala’s rooftop bar.

The restaurant provides Indonesian and international menus throughout each day, but coming for Sunday brunch is a must. Come for brunch then stay for the pool and beach club. Pala at Apurva Kempinski Bali is the ultimate place to truly indulge and treat yourself to a deliciously extravagant weekend.

3. Ijen at Potato Head Beach Club

The most recent addition to Potato Head Beach Club, Ijen is revolutionizing Bali’s restaurant industry by becoming the first zero-waste restaurant in Indonesia. With Chef Wayan Kresna Yasa at the helm, Ijen proves that restaurants can be delicious and trendy while being sustainable and producing no waste.

Ijen is a laidback island grill which you can depend on to have extremely fresh seafood and yummy snacks and drinks to go with it. The daily catch typically consists of barramundi, grouper and red snapper. When you get sick of the same old fries and burgers at the beach club, head to Ijen for fruity ceviche in coconuts and an entire fish in banana leaf topped with fragrant sambal.

Everything from the table cloths, furniture, coasters and utensils are made from recycled materials. The kitchen reuses all food waste for other purposes in order to throw nothing away. All the fish served at Ijen is single line-caught by fishermen from local villages around the island. The restaurant and its suppliers teach one another the most sustainable practices for farming and fishing, as well as ways to become zero-waste across the board. Everyone needs to visit Ijen at least once, simply to see what a fully zero-waste sustainable restaurant can be.

4. MAURI

Bali’s superstar chef, Maurizio Bombini, has finally opened his own digs. After successful stints at Bali’s hottest restaurants at Bulgari Resort and Ritz-Carlton Reserve Mandapa, Chef Bombini created MAURI, the super chic contemporary Italian restaurant in Seminyak, aka currently one of the hottest tables in Bali. Inspired by his fond Pugliese origins, the space is inviting and intimate, designed in warm neutral tones and white stucco.

MAURI serves modern Italian with a focus on extremely fresh high-quality ingredients. Much of the produce comes from the restaurant’s hydroponic garden on the rooftop and the rest from local Balinese farmers who respect the seasonality of every ingredient. Open for dinner only, a la carte and seasonal tasting menus are available, as well as Aperitivo Style bites and cocktails at the bar and lounge. With all this stylish contemporary Italian goodness, it’s no wonder that MAURI is the buzziest place in town!

5. Opeum at Lloyd’s Inn Bali

If you’re ever looking for a place to eat in the Double Six area, Opeum at the newly opened Lloyd’s Inn Bali is most definitely worth popping into. Created by Singapore’s Masterchef finalist, Sharon Gonzago, Opeum’s menu is packed with local takes on beachside crowd-pleasers. As the name of the restaurant suggests, diners are in for a delightfully addictive menu.

There are classic comfort foods like Shrimp Tostadas, Fish and Chips and Pizza with homemade fennel sausage. But there are fun elevated surprises like the Soft Shell Chili Crab Burger served on a charcoal bun and prawns grilled with sambal, harissa and cashew butter. You can try modern interpretations of local dishes such as Nasi Goreng Embe, snapper with sambal and burnt pineapple salsa and spring chicken grilled with bumbu spices. The wide array of refreshing cocktails and tea infusions definitely add to the appeal as well. Opeum is a secret haven where you can have a casual delicious meal while enjoying the relaxing minimalist design of Lloyd’s Inn.